Little India Riot Inquiry: 'That is based on paper'

Mr Kevin Teoh of MOM.

SINGAPORE - There are no abandoned workers here, said a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) official.

Foreign manpower divisional director Kevin Teoh was appearing before the Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the Little India riot on Tuesday.

But the COI said a report presented by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) last Tuesday gave a different view.

In the report, it said around 300 foreign workers depend on TWC2's two soup kitchens for their daily meals.

These are workers whom TWC2 president Russell Heng labelled as "abandoned" in his report. They had filed salary or injury claims against their employers who then denied them work and accommodation.

When asked about these 300 workers, Mr Teoh said the ministry did not know the case details of these workers.

"With respect to Mr Heng's assertion of abandoned workers, we are in the midst of following up with him to better understand when he made that comment here specifically, who he was referring to, do you have those details, and where there are shortfalls, particularly from the employer. MOM is prepared to do the necessary follow up," said Mr Teoh.

He explained that when a worker makes a claim, the ministry would take around three to six months to investigate.

In that time, the worker would be given a special pass here. Food, accommodation and other basic necessities would be provided by the employer.

TEMPORARY WORK

Workers carrying the special pass are allowed to work on a temporary basis under the Temporary Jobs Scheme until the conclusion of their cases.

If the employer is unable or refuses to provide for the worker due to insolvency or other reasons, MOM would step in and refer their case to NGOs like the Migrant Workers Centre, which will take in these workers, said Mr Teoh.

He said special pass holders typically fall into three categories: Injured workers, those with a pending criminal investigation against them and those who need to stay on to be prosecution witnesses against "sham" companies.

In the case of injured workers, it takes time for their condition to stabilise before their injuries can be assessed to be permanent or not by the medical board.

"Maybe TWC2 does not understand the process that the government and MOM has to take to bring (the cases) to a good conclusion," said Mr Teoh.

He stressed repeatedly: "It is the responsibility of employers to look after the basic needs of their workers."

But COI chairman G. Pannir Selvam retorted: "That is based on paper. In reality, it doesn't work."

The committee members also questioned Mr Teoh on other foreign worker issues brought up by NGOs during the course of the inquiry.

Mr Heng had said that there were one million foreign workers here on a work permit, whom he considers as low wage earners. Mr Teoh clarified that ministry numbers show otherwise.

Of the 1.1 million non-domestic foreign workers here, 770,000 are work permit holders. The ministry does not have a definition for low wage workers.

He clarified that it is illegal for employers to withhold the passports of foreign workers without their consent. While some employers may ask their workers to sign a consent form, they cannot impose a security bond if the worker wants his passport back.

Mr Singh said the rioters lifted a police car and propped it against the ambulance, before battering and rummaging through them. "They even took the stretcher out and wheeled it across the road," said Mr Singh.

The restaurant closed its doors to protect its customers when the riot broke out. Waiter Manikandan Ramalingam, 36, an Indian national, told The New Paper there were about 30 customers present and they did not allow anyone inside the restaurant.

Manager of Sakunthala's, Mr Basha, 33, told The New Paper that they closed the restaurant around 10.30pm when they noticed a commotion outside. He said they still had about 10 diners, including S'poreans and tourists, when he decided to switch off the lights for safety reasons.